Today we set off to Ansbach which is about 40km from Nuremberg.  Ansbach is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia with about 45,000 people living in the city.  The city started off in the 8th century as a Benedictine monastery, it later became the seat of the Hohenzollern family in 1331. Later in 1460 Margraves of Branderberg–Anspach lived here. Ansbach is also home to a US military base. It was not badly damaged during the World Wars and hence retains its original historical baroque sheen. The city also has a castle known as Margrafen–Schloss, built between 1704 – 1738 and a beautiful Orangery and a splendid gardens.  I think there are more statues and sculptures in Ansbach than there are in the rest of Germany combined, there literally is one on each corner.  Ansbach is also a birth city of a number of famous people from writers, and poets to astronomers as well as royalty such as Albert of Prussia, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and the first duke of Prussia and Queen Caroline, consort of King George II of Great Britain.  We spent a lovely afternoon here and had a short drive home, a perfect day out to see something new.